Hold-open lock for plug sliding door

ABSTRACT

A combination plug and sliding door for a railway box car is retained in an open position by means of a locking device supported on the door track positioned beneath the door opening. The lock device includes a latch element which is rotated to a disengaged position relative to a keeper on the door. Normal vibration of the door moving to its closed position will result in the latch element dropping by gravity to a reset position ready for engagement with the keeper when the door is again moved to the open position.

United States Patent [191 Nagy Dec. 18, 1973 [54] HOLD-OPEN LOCK FOR PLUG SLIDING 2,517,185 8/1950 Elmer 292/1 13 X DOOR inventor: Ernest J. Nagy, Munster, 1nd.

Assignee: Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, 111.

Filed: Sept. 13, 1971 Appl. No.: 179,667

[1.8. Cl. 49/449, 292/134 Int. Cl E05d 13/04 Field of Search 49/449; 292/1 13,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1916 Constable 49/449 X 6/1952 Dean......' 292/134 X Primary ExaminerKenneth Downey Attorney-Hilmond O. Vogel et al.

1 1 ABSTRACT A combination plug and sliding door for a railway box car is retained in an open position by means of a locking device supported on the door track positioned beneath the door opening. The lock device includes a latch element which is rotated to a disengaged position relative to a keeper on the door. Normal vibration of the door moving to its closed position will result in the latch element dropping by gravity to a reset position ready for engagement with the keeper when the door is again moved to the open position.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEUDEU 18 ms 3.773.333 SHEEI 10! 2 INVENTOR ERNEST J. NAGY y ATTORNEY PATENIEDBH: 18 ms 7 3,778,933 sum 2 0F 2 FIG.5

INVENTOR ERNEST J. NAGY ATTORNEY CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS E. .I. Nagy, Ser. No. 96,810, Filed: 12-10-70.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The field of the invention has to do with railway cars and particularly the sliding and plug type of door. More specifically, the invention has to do with a locking and latching mechanism for holding a door in an open position to one side of the door opening of a railway car.

. 2. Description of the Prior Art It is conventional to provide a locking device on the side of-a railway car for engaging a sliding door to hold the same in an open position. Devices of this type usually require a manual movement of the latching mechanism for engaging and for disengaging the door as it is moved to the open position. It is difficult for the operator who is moving the door to simultaneously position the latch in engagement with the door and thus it is preferable to provide a locking and latching mechanism which is automatically in position at all times to be engaged as the door is opened without any further manual manipulation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved locking or latching device for holding a plug and sliding door or combination thereof in an open position to one side of the door opening of a railway box car. The present invention includes a latch bar which is formed to engage a keeper carried by the door at the lower end thereof, the latching device being supported on the track on which the door slides. The latching mechanism is manually disengageable from the keeper whereupon a door may be moved to its closed position. In the disengaged position the latch element is rotated to an over-center position on a bracket arrangement. A handle is also pivotally connected on the bracket for raising the latch element to its over-center position. A pivot element is connected for rotation with the handle and the latch element is connected to a pivot pin which is offset with-respect to the axis of rotation of the pivot member. As the door is moved to its closed position, the handle, by virtue of the offset relation of the pivot pin to the pivot member, has a tendency to rotate from a substantially over-center position in response to the vibration of the rolling door to move to a lowered position whereupon it engages the latch and moves the same beyond the over-center position and whereupon by gravity the latch again resumes a reset position ready to be engaged by the keeper member on the door when the door is again moved to its open position. Thus, the latch element is always ready to reengage the sliding door without further manipulation on the part of an operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of a combination plug and sliding door supported on a railway box car with an improved locking mechanism supported on the car;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lower portion of a roller assembly of a sliding door and showing an improved latch or locking mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2; I

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a locking mechanism partially in cross-section in a disengaging position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. I shows a portion of a railroad car body structure 10 including a side wall II having a door post 12 forming one end of a door opening 13. The railway box car may be of a conventional construction and a combination plug and sliding door for closing the door opening is designated at 14. The door 14 may be generally of a conventional design and applicants aforementioned related patent application more specifically describes the structural components of said door. The door may include vertical horizontally spaced structural members 15 suitably reinforced by transverse structural members 16 to which is connected metal sheathing 16. A lower channel member 17 connects the lower ends of the members I5.

A door locking arrangement 18, more specifically described in the aforementioned application is adapted to actuate locking fingers 19 which in the closed position of the door engage suitable apertures on the framing of the door opening to rigidly secure the door in closed position. Movement of an actuating lever 20 provides for horizontal movement of an actuating linkage 21 as well as movement of the locking fingers 19. A track 22 is carried beneath the door opening 13 and extends to one side thereof as shown in FIG. I for supporting the .door for relative sliding movement.

The lower ends of the door include conventional roller assemblies 23 which are slidingly and guidingly supported on the track 22. The assembly 23 includes conventional rollers 24 to facilitate sliding movement of said door. The rollers 24 are suitably disposed in a housing 25. The door is provided with one conventional vertically extending rod or pipe which is rotated in a manner to provide for the inward movement of the door relative to the opening in plug type relation. The present arrangement includes on one side of the door a relatively long pipe 26 and at the opposite side a relatively short pipe 27. The pipe 26 is suitably and adjustably supported in a swivel bracket 28 connected to the side of the door and has connected thereto a crank arm I 29 which is in turn connected to one of the roller assemblies 23 by a pivotal means 30. The relatively short pipe 27 is connected to the door by brackets 28' and is supported for swivelling movement on the other roller assembly 23 by pivotal means 30'. The linkage assembly 21 is connected by means of an arm 31 to the pipe 26 and during actuation of the lever 20 the pipe 26 is rotated in turn rotating the crank arm 29 to first move the door relative to the roller assembly 23, to which the pipe 26 is connected, outwardly from the opening so that the door may be then moved laterally to the position shown in FIG. 1. The upper end of said door (not shown) may be provided with a similar crank arm and sliding arrangement. The details of the door per se need not be further described, since the present invention is adapted to function with the plug type as well as the sliding door, or a combination thereof with equal efficiency wherein it is desired to maintain a door 3 which is movable laterally from the opening into an open position on a track.

The locking or latching mechanism is designated at 32 and includes a support block 33 which is rigidly supported on the track 22. The support block 33 is provided at its upper end with a recess 34 having a lower arcuate wall 35 and a cylindrical roller or pivot member 36 is rotatably positioned within said recess 34. A flat plate 37 is suitably secured over the recess 34 to retain the pivot member 36 against upward movement. The pivot member 36 is free to rotate within said recess 34. A pivot pin 38 is disposed througha bore 39 provided in. the pivot member 36 and projects outwardly from opposite ends thereof. A stud 40 connects the pivot pin 38 for rotation with the pivot member 36. The pin 38 as best shown in FIG. is offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the pivot member 36. i A latch member'4l includes a pair of spaced legs 42 having at forward ends a hook-shaped wall 43. An actuating lever 44 is rigidly connected to the pin 38 so that upon rotation of the handle 44 pivotal action of the pin 38 and pivot member 36 occurs. The lever 44 includes a handle 45 which may be grasped by the operator. A keeper element generally designated at 46, is mounted on one of the roller assemblies 23, and includes a hookshaped portion 47, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. As best shown in FIG. 4, the legs 42 include openings 42 through which the pivot pin 38 extends on opposite sides of said legs, the said latch element 41 being free to pivot on said pivot pin 38. Thus the legs 42 are pivoted on the same axis as the lever 44. However, this last-mentioned axis is laterally offset with respect to the axis of the pivot member 36. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pin 38 also has rigidly connected thereto an actuating element 48 having an inwardly directed flange 49 which is adapted to engage one of the legs 42 of the latch element during rotation of the pin 38 and lever 44. A stop 51 is disposed on the upper end of the block 33 and projects laterally outwardly as best shown in FIG. 3 so that upon movement of the latch element 41 to the position shown in FIG. 5 one of the legs 42 engages the stop SI and maintains the latch element in the over-center position disclosed. A stop 50 as best shown in FIG. 2 engages one of the legs 42 so that when the door is moving toward its closed position and the latch element is reset or moved to its engageable position it is supported by the stop 50.

THE OPERATION Assuming now that the door is open and the keeper element 46 is held by the latch 41 in the position shown in FIG. 2, the operator now wishes to disengage the hook-shaped portion 43 from the hook-shaped latch element 47. He grasps the handle 45 and moves the lever 44 in a clockwise direction. The flange 49 of the actuating element 48 now moves below one of the legs 42, see FIG. 3, and upon continued rotation engages the said one leg 42 moving the freely pivoted latch member 41 into the position shown in FIG. 5 against the stop 51 whereupon the keeper member 46 is now no longer engaged and the door can be moved by the operator to its closed position in conventional fashion. The lever 44 has also now moved to the position against the stop 51 as shown in FIG. 4. As the door is moved to the closed position the track is vibrated sufficiently to cause a reaction upon the latch arrangement. By virtue of the offset position of the pin 38 relative to the swivel or pivot member 36 vibration causes the movement of the lever 44 tomove in a counterclockwise direction away from the stop 51 whereupon it then freely falls by gravity in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5. In the broken line position of FIG. 5 it is apparent that the flange 49 now again engages one of the legs 42 of the latch arm 41 which, due to the weight of the lever 44 and the eccentric positioning of the pivot member, forces the latch arm 41 to move counterclockwise from its over-center position and to again assume the position shown in FIG. 2 where it is held horizontally by means of the stop member 50. This is the reset or re-engaging position so that when the operator again wishes to move the door to the open position at one side of the door opening, the hook-shaped latch element 47 automatically rides under-neath the hookshaped wall portion, pivots the latch element momentarily upwardly, and provides for engagement with the keeper 46. Thus the operator's hands are free to move the door to its open position and the engagement of the latch and locking mechanism is automatic. It is only necessary to again move the lever 44 as previously described whereupon during closing of the door the vibration set up in the track mechanism again'causes the latch element to assume its latched position ready for repeated and automatic engagement when the door is again moved to the open position.

I claim: I. In a railway car having a side including a door opening:

a door slidably movable on a track disposed on said side adjacent said door opening; said door being movable from an open position at one side of said opening to a closed position over said opening; the improvement comprising: a latch arrangement for maintaining said door in said open position including; a support member mounted on said side; said support member including means defining a generally cylindrical aperture therein; a latch member including a latching finger; means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member for swinging movement downwardly from a substantially upright over-center position to a substantially horizontal locking position; a latch retainer mounted on said door engageable with said latch finger in said locking position to restrain movement of said door;- said means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member including a cylindrical pivot member mounted in said aperture for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; and a gravity actuated biasing means including a lever swingable downwardly from an over-center position, said lever fixedly connected to said means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member with its center of gravity spaced eccentrically with respect to the axis of said cylindrical pivot member and having an actuating element thereon swingably engagable with said latch member as said lever springs from its over-center position in response to vibration of said support during movement of said door for biasing said latch member from said substantially upright over-center position to gravitate into said locking position. 2. The invention in accordance with claim I, and

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, and

said actuating element including flange means disposed laterally with respect to the axis of rotation of said pivot member and extending in overlapping relation relative to said latch member.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 3,

including a second stop member on said support member engageable by said latch member for maintaining the latching finger means in a reset position to be engaged by said latch retainer. 

1. In a railway car having a side including a door opening: a door slidably movable on a track disposed on said side adjacent said door opening; said door being movable from an open position at one side of said opening to a closed position over said opening; the improvement comprising: a latch arrangement for maintaining said door in said open position including; a support member mounted on said side; said support member including means defining a generally cylindrical aperture therein; a latch member including a latching finger; means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member for swinging movement downwardly from a substantially upright over-center position to a substantially horizontal locking position; a latch retainer mounted on said door engageable with said latch finger in said locking position to restrain movement of said door; said means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member including a cylindrical pivot member mounted in said aperture for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis; and a gravity actuated biasing means including a lever swingable downwardly from an over-center position, said lever fixedly connected to said means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support member with its center of gravity spaced eccentrically with respect to the axis of said cylindrical pivot member and having an actuating element thereon swingably engagable with said latch member as said lever springs from its over-center position in response to vibration of said support during movement of said door for biasing said latch member from said substantially upright over-center position to gravitate into said locking position.
 2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, and said latch member including a pair of legs straddling said support; said means pivotally connecting said latch member to said support including a shaft rigidly connected to said cylindrical pivot member; and said legs being pivotally connected to said shaft on opposite sides of said support.
 3. The invention in accordance with claim 1, including a stop member on said support member for maintaining said latch member in a substantially upright over-center position.
 4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, and said actuating element including flange means disposed laterally with respect to the axis of rotation of said pivot member and extending in overlapping relation relative to said latch member.
 5. The invention in accordance with claim 3, including a second stop member on said support member engageable by said latch member for maintaining the latching finger means in a reset position to be engaged by said latch retainer. 